Washing and dry cleaning machine



H. c. BOWEN WASHING AND DRY CLEANING MACHINE Filed March 12. i937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 j' ff- MMIII mulini-llllljl l l l Ufa/@122511 l '.zer C-ozdeza I| lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Ill lllllllllllllllllllllllllll u nannlnln/lilnllllaflxll'lllflln.fli4l! l De@ 5, 1939" I H. c. Bowl-:N 2,182,655

WASHING AND DRY CLLANING MACHINE I Filed March 12, 1937 2 Sheets-Shevef -2 I I 70` r' Patented Dec. 5, 1939 n PATENT oFFi-ca aisaoss WASHING AND DRY CLEANING MACHINE Herben c. Bowen', Dea-oit, Mich.; mimw Bendix Home Appliances, Inc., Detroit, Mich.,

a corporation of Delaware Application Mai-1 1 12, 1931. serial No. 130,444

' 10 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements Ain washing machines and particularly to washing machines comprising a receptacle adaptedto be supplied with suitable liquid` and the liquid drained therefrom while the receptacle is sealed.

In apparatus of the above type the liquid customarily used is water and along with the water is used a suitable detergent, such as soap. When l .the -water is added to the sealed receptacleI in which soap has been previously placed, the air contained therein is compressed and tends to cause leakage of water as well as the soap bubbles that are formed during the time liquid is added and during agitation of the textiles. 16 this leakage the receptacles have been provided with an air vent whereby the air pressure within the receptacle is maintained at atmospheric pressure at all times.

'Ihe principal object of the present invention is 0. to provide a new and improved air venting means providing .a pressure-equalizing means preventing leakage of s oap bubbles or-other liquid entrained in the air passing through said venting means.

A more specic object of the present invention 85 is to provide a venting means adapted to permit ow of air therethrough into or out of the receptacle and to return back into the` receptacle all entrained liquid owing out of the receptacle.

A further object of this invention isto provide $0 a new and improved air vent adapted for use with apparatus utilizing liquid level controlled means for maintaining a predetermined amount of liquid within the receptacle. y

-In the drawings:

lo Fig. 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of

a washing machine embodying the present inve tion. The door through which textiles are placed into and removed from the machine has been omitted from this ligure for the purpose n of better showing other features;

' Fig. 2 is a top plan view, also partly in section,

of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation, partly in section, of the liquid level controlling means of Figs. 4l 1 and 2; and

Fig. 4 illustrates diagrammatically a form of control that may be used with the apparatus.

v'I'hese' specic drawings and the specic description thereof that follows are merely to dis- 60 close an illustrative embodiment of the invention and are notto be construed as imposing limitations on the claims. l

The machine disclosed herein by way or example is a domestic washing machine, although the so invention is equally applicable to dry cleaning To prevent and commercial machines. Referring particu-4 larly to Figs. 1 andZ, it may be* seen that the machine has a base I0, consisting of a square angle, which supports an upright frame I2 having substantially the shape of a right angle triangle. At itsapex the frame carries "apair of bearing supports I4 in which is journalleda shaft I6. The shaft is mounted in cantilever fashion and is turned by a pulley Il keyed or otherwise secured thereto between the bearing supports and driven through a belt by an electric motor 22 mounted on baselli. The motor may be supplied with energy from any suitable source and its energization controlled in any well known manner.

A washing drum or cylinder 24 adapted to contain textiles or other materials to bewashed is mounted for rotation by shaft i8 which is provided with a hub 28 to'which the drum is secured. The rear panel of the drum is provided with lnwardly projecting ribs 28 and the periphery of the drum is provided with inwardly projecting bailie'sy 30 for the'purpose o'f increasing the emciency of the washing action. The periphery is' preferably provided with perforations 32 in' accordance with usual practice. v

The rotatable drum 24 is surrounded by an imlperiorate liquid-tight receptacle or tub 24 supported at its rear by frame I2 ina manner not shown. 'I'he tub in turn maybe surrounded by 30 an upright cabinet 38 of pleasing design mounted The textiles are placed into and removed from the rotatab'e drum through aligned centrally locatedcircular openingsprovided on the iront walls of the cabinet,'tub and druxri, respectively. y The opening in the drum is left open during operation. but the openings in the tub and cabinet are sealed against leakageof water and air' by a door 38 adapted to bear against an annular U-shaped flange 40 (see Fig. 2) uniting theiront walls of the tub and cabinet atl their respective openings.

Tub 34 is provided at its bottom lwith a sump 42 from the lowest point oi which leadsa drain conduit 44 provided with suitable means, such as the valve 4i. for controlling the drainage of liquid from the tub. The va'lve '4l is,ot course, closed` during the time the machine is in operation.

Liquid may be'suppliedto the tub from a suit able source through conduit 45 under the control of a flow-regulating means such as the electromagnetically operated, normally closed valve 4l. A flexible conduit leads fromthe valve to a the liquid supplied to the machine is under the control of liquid level responsive means indicated generally by reference numeral 54. This means comprises a oat chamber 54 secured to the tub 34 by welding 58 and connected :at its bottom to the bottom of the tub by a relatively small diameter horizontallydisposed conduit B0. Conduit opens into the tub 34 through a tangential passageway 62 leading in the direction or rotation of drum 24, indicated by the arrow in Fig. l. The passageway 62 is formed by a baule plate ed suitably secured to the inner side of tub 34 and formed with a curved portion 68 corresponding to the opening in the'tub wall. The forward edge of the baille plate 84 is provided with a small opening a8 providing a communicating passage between the front and rear sides of the baile plate. The opening B8 serves to equalize the fluid pressure Within passage 82 and conduit 6U with that in the tub and thus to prevent the rotation of the drum from pumping water from conduit O0 and the iioat chamber B8.

Mounted for vertical movement within the iloat chamber 5B is a. ball iioat 10 spaced from the side `walls of the chamber by vertical inwardly projecting guiding ridges 12 formed on the latter. A control rod 1t is attached to the top ofthe oat 10 and it extends upward through a dished cover 16 provided with an opening 18 oi' greater diameter than the diameter of the rod for a purpose to be described hereinafter. The control rod 14 is adapted to impart movement through a lost motion connection 30 to the operating arm 82 of a snap acting switch B4. of any desired type.

The switch 84 is in circuit with the4 operating coil 86 of the normally closed inlet valve 48, as illustrated in Fig. 4. From this iigure it may be seen that a manually operable switch 88@ may be placed in series with the switch 44 and' the coil 86. When switch BS'is closed to placethe inlet valve under control of the level responsive means 54, then ii' the tub 34 is empty or the level o! liquid below a predetermined value, an energizing circuit for the operating coil Il of valve 48 will be closed by switch 84. which is in the position illustrated in- Fig. 4.

limitsbefore the switch is actuated, as distinguished from a point control. This arrangement prevents operation of thevalve in case of slight uctuations in level that may be be .oc-

casioned in lnormal operation of the machine. In order to prevent the-.building ot undesired air pressure inthe tub when liquid is supplied thereto after' the soap and textiles have been placed therein, the tub is provided, in accordance with the present invention, with an outlet in the form of a vertical stack Il. The stack is mounted f on the side wall of the tub 14,' approximately dismetrieany opposite the nest chamber u at s point approximately midway between the hon# at its lower end to the upper end of the chamber 56.

It is apparent from the above description that I the stack s0, tube s6, and iloat chamber 56 provide a vent to the atmosphere by means of which the pressure within the sealed tub 34 is maintained at atmospheric pressure at all times. The

air exhausted to the doat chamber 54 is free to escape to the surrounding atmosphere through the annular space between the control rod 14 and the cover 16 of the float chamber which, as stated previously, is provided with an opening 1l having a greater diameter than the rod. By having the upper portion oi the float chamber, as well as the interior of the tub, at atmospheric pressure the operation of the liquid level control is improved as both chamber will be at the same air pressure. y

In operation, textiles or other materials to be washed are placed into 'the rotatable drum 24 along with a suitable detergent such 'as soap. Thedoor 36 is then closed to seal the surrounding imperforate tub 34. The motor 22 is then energized as by connection to a suitable source of energy, and manually operableswitch Il is closed to place the electromagnetically operated inlet valve k48 under control of the iloat switch I4. Energization of the motor results in the rotation` of the drum 24 whereby the textiles therein are tumbled in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. Normally no water is present in the tub when switch 44 is closed and, therefore, noot 10 would be at the bottom of the iloat chamber and snap switch 8i is closed. Thus, the operating coil B6 of the inlet valve 48 is energized by closure o! switch 84 and the valve opened to admit liquid to the tub through conduit Il and nipple 52. It should be understood that the drain conduit 44 is closed during the washing operation to prevent escape of the -water from the tub.

The liquid level in both the tub I4 and float chamber 54 rises at an equal rate asboth are open to the atmospherel and the iioat Il is raised. Aftera predetermined liquid level obtains the latter actuates the snap switch I4 to its open position, thereby deenergizing the operating coll 86 of the inlet valve 48 and shutting of! the supply of water.

As the liquidlevel within the tub 44 rises, the air contained therein is continuously displaced and readily escapes through stack Il and tube l0 to the upper part of the iloat chamber Il and thence to the'atmosphere through the opening Il between the control rod 14 and top 1lof the iioat chamber. Thus, no undesired pressure obtains within the tub as water is supplied thereto and the leakage o! water is kept to a; 0

minimum.

During the continued agitation of the textiles by rotation of the drum 24, the interior of the drum-and tub is nlled with soap suds, and as the tub is being illled with water these may be entrained-inthe escaping air and be carried arenoso 3 out o! the tub. However. all liquid so entrained is returned to the tub through the stack Il and tube Il where the bubbles are broken and the air thereby separated irom the liquid. Consei quentLv. the condensed liquid will drip from the lower end of the tube lt into the iloat chamber Il and be returned to the tub 34 while the released air will escape to the outside through the vent 18 around the switch control rod 14. After the textiles have been washed the switch l. is opened, motor 22 deenergiaed, and the water drained from the tub through conduit Il. As the water level recedes there is a tendency for a partial vacuum to be created in the tub, Il but air readily ilnds its way into the tub through the above described vent; consequently, the door Il may be opened with ease and the textiles removed v The )described invention is not applicable sole- '20 ly lao-machines of the type described, but may be applied to washing or related types of machines generally in order to prevent undesiredA leakage of water therefrom. Thus, it-may be utilized in machines not entirely sealed nor having automatic liquid supply, and to machines mounted for rotation on a vertical axis. Modiiications and applications of the invention other than those described may occur to those skilled in the art and it is intended thatthe following 80 claims cover all these wlthln the scope of the present invention. Except for' the features claimed below, the machine illustrated in the drawings is the invention of Rex Earl Bassett.

Jr. and John W. Chamberlin, and is claimed in. -35 their applications Nos. 6,425, sled Febuary 14,

1935, and 129,429, iiled March 6, 1937.

` I claim:

l. In combination, a receptacle adapted par tially to be iilled with liquid. a drum adapted to contain textiles mounted for movement within said receptacle. a iloat chamber in communication with the liquid-containing portion of said receptacle, means for controlling the level of liquid in said receptacle including a iioat in said 5 chamber, a stack opening from said receptacle above the level of the liquid therein. and a congeutconnecting said stack and' said oat cham- 2.. In a washing machine. the combination ini0 cluding a receptacle' adapted partially to be sued with liquid and sealed during operation. a drum adapted to contain textiles mounted for movement within said receptacle, and means including a chamber open to the Aatmosphere and in Il communication with the liquid-containing portion o! said receptacle and a portion ofthe receptacle abovethe normal liquid level for main- .taining the interior of said receptacle at atmospheric pressure and preventing leakage o! liquid 00 from said receptacle..

. 3. In a washing machine, the combination including a receptacle adapted partially to be filled with liquid and sealed during operation. a drum adapted to contain textiles mounted for rota-l tion within said receptacle, means for rotating said drum in one direction, and means including a stack communicating with the receptaclel above the normal liquid level on the side where the 70 rotation of the drum is in a downward direction. a chamber vented to the atmosphere and comlnunieating with the receptacle below the normal liquid level. and ah'conduit communicating 'b'etweenthesaidstaekandsaidventedchanlben u iesllaiaiairngtbointeriorolmidreoqtacle at atmospheric pressure and preventing leakage r oi liquid'irom said receptacle.

4. In'combination, a substantially circular receptacle adapted Drtillytohe filled with liquid, a drum adapted to contain textiles mounted 6 for rotation within said receptacle..means for rotating said drum in'one direction. and means including a chamber in communication with the liquid containing portion of said receptacle through a ilrst conduit and with theportion l0 above the liquid through a second conduit 'for preventing leakage of liquid from said receptacle. and a baille plate in the receptacle covering the opening ofthe ilrst. conduit and constructed to form with the inner periphery oi the receptacle. 16.

a tangential passage opening in the direction oi" rotation oi' the drum.

5. Incombination with a washing machine having a receptacle, a drum mounted for rotation about its axis within the rec'eptacle, means 20 for rotating said drum in one direction, and a chamber communicating with the receptacle above'the normal liquid level and also with an opening in the liquid-containing portion of the said receptacle, a baule plate in the receptacle 25 covering the opening communicating with said chamber and constructed to form with the inner periphery oi the receptacle a tangential passage opening in the direction of rotation of the drum,

said plate having a relatively small opening at the end oi saidl tangential passage opposite said iirst mentioned opening. Y l

6. In a washing machine', the combination including a receptacle adapted partially to be iilled with liquid and sealed during operation, a drum adapted to contain textiles mounted for rotation about its axis within said receptacle, means for rotating said drum in one direction. and means including a stack communicating with the receptacle above the normal level o! the liquid and on the side where the rotation of the drum is in a downward direction, a chamber vented to the atmosphere communicating-with the liquid-containing portion of the receptacle through a conduit. and communicating with the stack l through a second conduit, for maintaining the interior of said receptacle at atmospheric pressure and preventing leakage of liquid from said receptacle and a baille plate in the receptacle covering the opening of the rst named conduit I.'

with the receptacle above the normal level o! the liquid and on the side where the rotation of the drum is in adownward direction. a chamber vented to the atmosphere communicating with the liquid-containing portion oi' the recep- Il tacieabaileplateinthereceptaclecovering' the opening communicating with said chamber and comtrueted to ,form with the inner periphery of the receptacle, a tangential passage openfinginthedirectionofrotationoithe drum,said I plate having a relatively'small opening at the end oi saidtangential e opposite the ilrst mentioned opening. said chamber also comnlunicating with said stack through a conduit. lormaintainingtheinterioroisaidehamberattw atmospheric pressure and preventing leakage of liquid from said receptacle.

8. In combination, a receptacle adapted partially to be iilled with liquid, a drum adapted to contain textiles mounted yfor movement within said receptacle, means including a chamber in communication with the liquid-containing portion of said receptacle and the portion of the receptacle above the normal liquid level for preventing leakage oi liquid from said receptacle,

and ,means including a oat in said chamber for" controlling the level of liquid in said receptacle.

9." In combination. a receptacle adapted partially to be filled with liquid, a cylinder mounted for rotation within said receptacle, means for rotating said cylinder in one direction, a float chamber, means providing communication be-A tween the iloat chamber 'and the liquid-containing part oi said receptacle, and means including a noat in said chamber for controlling the level ci liquid in said receptacle, the means providing communication between the iloat chamber and liquid-containing part of said receptacle comprising a passage opening into said receptacle in the direction of rotation oi said cylinder.

10. In combination, a receptacle adapted partially to be illled with liquid, a cylinder mounted i'or rotation within said receptacle, means for Y rotating said cylinder in one direction, a float 

